3.05pm Nottingham Tips & Betting Preview 26/04/2016

IN SUMMARY: Lavetta bids to overcome a penalty after bolting up over 7f at Catterick on Wednesday and will be a very tough nut to crack if in similar form over today’s longer trip. However, she faces a couple of interesting stable debutantes here and could be worth opposing with TEOSROYAL (5/1). Simon Crisford’s 4yo was inconsistent when in the care of Clive Brittain but comes here on a workable mark and the booking of Silvestre De Sousa catches the eye, on her first start for a trainer who had an impressive strike-rate in his first season. Loaves And Fishes generally found things tough in Listed company over longer trips last season but she is the other interesting “yard-hopper” and can get competitive now switched to a handicap on her debut for David O’Meara. Moon River has been in excellent form on Fibresand this year but now needs to prove she can do the business on turf.

1 Loaves And Fishes – Won Haydock maiden (1m, good) on sole 2yo start and raced exclusively in Listed company over middle-distance trips for Clive Cox last season, with best effort her fourth at Newbury (1m2f, good to firm) in August; signed off with a couple of disappointing run in the autumn but still an interesting contender now dropped back in trip for handicap/stable debut.

2 What You Say – Lightly raced 4yo who struggled to land a significant blow when making seasonal/AW debut in Listed event at Kempton (1m2f) a month ago; ought to find this easier and be suited by the return to turf but she hasn’t delivered on the promise she showed as a 2yo and others have more appealing profiles.

3 La Superba – Three consecutive wins at around 1m on various types of ground when fitted with cheekpieces last summer and ended 2015 campaign with creditable second over C&D; another 2lb higher today and has 209-day absence to overcomes today, but further progress certainly not ouf of the question.

4 Edge Of Heaven – Began last season with hat-trick of wins over an extended 1m; predictably found things tougher once the handicapper caught up but made encouraging return to action when midfield in Kempton Listed event (1m, AW) this month and can make her presence felt here if building on that performance.

5 Moon River – Been in excellent form on Fibresand this year, with the latest of her four wins coming in Class 2 7f event four weeks ago; will be fine over today’s trip and is allowed to a compete off a lower handicap mark back on turf, but she has a very modest record on this surface and it remains to be seen how much of her recent improvement can be transferred from Southwell.

6 Ghinia – Produced a new career-best performance when scoring at Windsor (8.3f, soft) in October and backed that up with good third off today’s mark at Newmarket (1m, soft) later that month; also suited by faster ground but will need to return from 178-day break in peak form to have any chance here.

7 Teosroyal – Only win from nine starts for Clive Brittain came in a three-runner maiden and her form last season was rather patchy; however, she makes her debut for Simon Crisford on a workable mark and with this assistance of Silvestre De Sousa; will be suited by today’s trip/ground and could be the answer; hooded for the first time.

8 Miss Van Gogh – Made good progress last season and gained the third win of that campaign at Newmarket (1m, soft) in October; might have found heavy going too taxing when soundly beaten on reappearance at Redcar this month but that still goes down as a disappointing effort and the good ground here may not show her in her best light either.

9 Lavetta – Gained breakthrough win at Redcar (7f, soft) in November and built upon pleasing reappearance there when scoring readily by over 3l at Catterick (7f, good to soft) on Wednesday; was 1lb out of the handicap that day so is effectively only 5lb higher under her 6lb penalty here; obvious claims if today’s longer trip suits.

myracing Forecast Prices: 7/2 Lavetta, 5/1 Loaves And Fishes, Teosroyal, 11/2 La Superba, 8/1 Moon River, Ghinia, 10/1 What You Say, 12/1 Edge Of Heaven, Miss Van Gogh